Apparatus and methods for drilling a wellbore using casing

• US 7,334,650 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Nazzal, Gregory R., Terry, Jim, Jackson, Raymond H., Swarr, James C., Galloway, Gregory G., Beasley, William M., Odell, Albert C., Wardley, Mike, McKay, Dave, Lirette, Brent J., Giroux, Richard L., Le, Tuong Thanh, Brunnert, David J., Alkhatib, Samir
• Primary Examiner(s): NEUDER, WILLIAM P
• Application Number:
  US10/772,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 175/26, 175/57, 175/171, 175/424
• US Class Current: 175/26
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/002 designed to reduce the generation or the transmission of noise or to produce a particular sound; associated with noise monitoring means
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/61 characterised by the nozzle structure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/14 Casing shoes for the protection of the bottom of the casing
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/103 Down-hole by-pass valve arrangements, i.e. between the inside of the drill string and the annulus valves specifically for maintaining circulation of drilling fluid while connecting or disconnecting tubular joints E21B21/019
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 2200/04 Ball valves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/14 for cementing casings into boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0078 Nozzles used in boreholes drilling by liquid or gas jets E21B7/18; drill bits with nozzles E21B10/60; perforators using direct fluid action E21B43/114; obtaining a slurry of minerals using nozzles E21B43/29
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/105 Expanding tools specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/01 Devices for supporting measuring instruments on drill bits, pipes, rods or wirelines; Protecting measuring instruments in boreholes against heat, shock, pressure or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/06 Deflecting the direction of boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/065 using oriented fluid jets
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/18 Drilling by liquid or gas jets, with or without entrained pellets E21B7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/208 using down-hole drives E21B7/203 and E21B7/206 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for drilling with casing. In an embodiment, methods and apparatus for deflecting casing using a diverter apparatus are disclosed. In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a motor operating system disposed in a motor system housing, a shaft operatively connected to the motor operating system, the shaft having a passageway, and a divert assembly disposed to direct fluid flow selectively to the motor operating system and the passageway in the shaft. In another aspect, methods and apparatus for directionally drilling a casing into the formation are disclosed. Methods and apparatus for measuring the trajectory of a wellbore while directionally drilling a casing into the formation are also described.

Claims

1. A method for preferentially directing a path of a casing to form a wellbore, comprising:

providing a second casing concentrically disposed within a first casing, the first casing having an earth removal member operatively connected thereto;

operating the first casing and the earth removal member to penetrate into a formation to a first depth;

releasing a releasable attachment between the first and second casing; and

selectively altering a trajectory of the second casing while rotating the earth removal member as the second casing continues into the formation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising diverting fluid flow to a passageway through a motor system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising flowing a physically alterable bonding material through the passageway to the earth removal member.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first casing comprises a biasing member to facilitate altering the trajectory of the wellbore.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the biasing member includes a preferential jet for directing fluid flow asymmetrically through the first casing while jetting.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the biasing member includes a stabilizing member disposed proximate to a midpoint of the first casing.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising diverting fluid flow to a passageway through a motor system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising flowing a physically alterable bonding material through the passageway to the earth removal member.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a motor system releasably attached to an inner portion of the second casing, the motor system adapted to rotate the earth removal member.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a drilling fluid to the motor system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising diverting the drilling fluid to a passageway through the motor system.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

drilling the second casing to a second depth; and

expanding the second casing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein expanding the second casing is accomplished by retrieving the motor system from the second casing.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising retrieving the motor system from the second casing.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising selectively introducing a surveying tool into the motor system to selectively measure the trajectory of the wellbore.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the surveying tool selectively measures the trajectory of the wellbore while drilling with the first or second casing.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein penetrating the first casing into the formation comprises jetting the first casing.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring a trajectory of the wellbore while drilling with the first or second casing.

19. An drilling assembly for directing a path of a wellbore, comprising:

an outer casing having a deflecting member for deflecting a direction of the drilling assembly;

an inner casing having a motor system disposed therein, the inner casing disposed within the outer casing and operatively attached thereto; and

an earth removal member operatively connected to a lower end of the outer casing, wherein the earth removal member is rotatable by the motor system.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deflecting member comprises an inclined wedge releasably attached to a lower portion of the cutting apparatus.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deflecting member comprises an angled perforation through the lower portion of the casing string for receiving a fluid.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the deflecting member further comprises a bent portion in the casing string for deflecting the casing string preferentially in a direction.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deflecting member comprises a second earth removal member larger in diameter than the first earth removal member disposed on a portion of the casing assembly above the first earth removal member.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the deflecting member further comprising a landing seat for securing a survey tool therein.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the earth removal member includes at least one nozzle extending therethrough, the at least one nozzle having an extended straight bore extending longitudinally therethrough.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one nozzle is drillable.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one nozzle comprises a soft material.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the soft material is copper.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one nozzle comprises a thin coating of a hard material, the hard material having a hardness greater than a hardness of a soft material.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the hard material is ceramic.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the hard material is tungsten carbide.

32. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the motor system is releasable from the inner casing and retrievable therefrom.

33. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the motor system comprises:

a motor operating system disposed in a motor system housing;

a shaft operatively connected to the motor operating system, the shaft having a passageway; and

a divert assembly disposed to direct fluid flow selectively to the motor operating system and the passageway in the shaft.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a latch for releasably latching the motor system onto the inner casing.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the divert assembly comprises a dosing sleeve having one or more ports, the closing sleeve disposed in the shaft.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the divert assembly comprises a rupture disk disposed to block fluid flow to the passageway in the shaft.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the motor operating system comprises a hydraulic system.

38. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the motor operating system comprises a system selected from a turbine system and a stator system.

39. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the earth removal member includes a drill face and a spindle connected to the shaft.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the earth removal member includes a fluid connection to the passageway in the shaft.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the earth removal member includes a shut off mechanism for stopping fluid flow through the fluid connection.

42. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a casing latch attached to the motor system housing, the casing latch adapted to releasably secure the motor system to an internal surface of the inner casing.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the casing latch includes a fluid passage connected to the passageway in the shaft.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising a guide assembly connected to the casing latch, the guide assembly having one or more seats for receiving a device selected from an inter string and an orientation device.

45. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the motor system housing includes an enlargement portion for expanding a casing size.

46. A method of initiating and continuing a path of a wellbore, comprising:

providing a first casing having a first earth removal member operatively disposed at a lower end thereof;

penetrating a formation with the first casing to form the wellbore;

selectively altering a trajectory of the wellbore while penetrating the formation with the first casing;

flowing drilling fluid to a motor system disposed in a second casing, the second casing being releasably attached to an inner diameter of the first casing and having a second earth removal member; and

rotating the second earth removal member with the motor system.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the trajectory of the second casing is altered more than the trajectory of the first casing.

48. A method of altering a path of a casing into a formation, comprising:

providing an outer casing with a deflector releasably attached to its lower end;

penetrating the formation with the deflector;

releasing the deflector from the outer casing; and

deflecting the path of the outer casing in the formation by moving the casing string along the deflector.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising releasing an inner casing from the outer casing.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising flowing drilling fluid to a motor system disposed within the inner casing to rotate an earth removal member operatively attached to the motor system while altering a trajectory of the inner casing drilling into the formation.